Is it just me or are things going super slow ? I thought by now the staff would be named &out onthe road beating the bushes & rumors would be posted every day. what happened to livingston & white? after waiting 4 years for some good news I guess I'm just to impatient. I'm gonna scream ! lol
Congrats CJJ and LSU. http://www.lsusports.net/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=5200&ATCLID=205418698 Obviously the news is that Coleman and Hammink have signed. Whew, is all I can say. First off, I like the signings, because of what the kids bring. They're both versatile, right-sized wings who add immediate depth in various positions. I think one thing that Trent realized too late at LSU is that this league is built on long, athletic wings. Shavon, being a JUCO, brings immediate depth in that 2-3-4 spot, and someone who can compete right away. Shane is a 1-2-3 guy who is versatile. Both kids can defend, and like to defend, which is also a little bit of a departure for LSU--a luxury of having taller, longer kids who can stay in front of (hopefully) the bevy of SEC wings/guards out there. Now, to be fair, both kids were likely going to sign with LSU and Trent, and Jones simply closed the deal. Nevertheless, LSU's 2011-12 class moves to three signings, a top 100 kid, the #8 Juco, and a top 15 European player. Not too shabby. And, does this lay the ground work for Shane's twin brothers, or Derrick Taylor's son (all top Euro players for next year)? But, these were relatively non-surprises. Certainly LSU had ties to these players that made their signings "routine". Who are we going to get that demonstrate a recruiting "reach" or someone who was "sold" on coming to LSU. That's what I'm waiting for. I'm also waiting for formal announcements of assistants. Still no word yet, and a lot of speculation about Johnny's assistants at UNT and Randy Livingston--who I still frankly do not get not getting a hire. It's just odd to me, considering how the guy has publicly wanted the job, and is a New Orleans native who has a wealth of NBA/NBDL experience both playing and coaching. You have to sign the guys, but frankly the proof is in the pudding... can JJones develop his recruits? With kids like Isaac, Morgan, and Hammink in the fold, you've got moldable talented guards in what is purported to be a move to a faster tempo game. I'm intrigued by what we'll see. In any case, good job CJJ--now let's try to hit a home run here, and not a double.
Good post Horn, I agree & I also wanted Livingston on this staff. I was told that the word onone of the local sports shows (radio) said that Livingston was out. I hope thats not true but he sure is moving slow picking his staff.
I keep hearing he can play the 4, but I don't see it. Is there something I'm missing? He definitely seems more of a G/F combo than someone who can slide down to the post.
Well, he's certainly not ideal for the 4, BUT I think the logic is his wingspan actually makes him play taller (he's reportedly a 6'6" ish guy with a 6'8"ish wing span) and he's a little less afraid to mix it up taking the ball to the hoop and plays "bigger" than Turner would. Remember LSU has had folks like Ron Dupree (also 6'6"ish but decent leaper), or Darnell Lazare (smaller 6'8") play the 4 position. Of course, ideally, at 4 you'd have a 6'8-6'10" who was big and played in the post. But, in a more up-tempo guard oriented offense, as long as your team is aggressive on the boards, you can team rebound and push the break. What folks sort of have gotten accustomed to at LSU are bigger plodding 4s, who were part of double post sets. We've upgraded our overall height by adding some 6'5, 6'6" wings, so now say with a 6'6" 2 (Turner), a 6'6" 3 (Coleman) and a 6'8" 4 (Courtney/Ludwig), we would have overall decent height. Nevertheless, I do think we'll see Ludwig/Courtney at 4/5 at times, just because they are both taller and heavier. What I think is underestimated in the college game is not height, but weight. Courtney is actually 230 ish, and that is significantly bigger in the post than Coleman at around 200. As long as we have someone down low who is physical and can block out, other guys can rebound. You'd like to see another signee who, if not 6'10", was in that 6'8-9" and bulkier set to help JOB block out and get rebounds. Adding that sort of guy to this class is what we're missing.
As always, great post Horn. I like the additions of Coleman and Hammink because they add depth and some versatility as they both are able to play multiple positions. The addition of a big, even if just a rebounding and defensive type, would be key to depth on the post next season. Otherwise, I look for Jalen Courtney to play more of a "big" role next season. His frame is definitely more fitted than Ludwig's for post play but he doesn't strike me as a particularly aggressive player. I have a hard time believing that Pelle will land at LSU just because of the geography. I have also heard that it is unlikely that Pelle will qualify. This said, it will be incumbent upon JJ and his staff to find another post-type player and do so quickly. I would be delighted to get Pelle, don't get me wrong; I just think it is unlikely. Nevertheless, I am getting excited to see what kind of product JJ will put on the floor.
Well, with changes, comes opportunity. And, if I was Courtney, I would be putting in the time this offseason to develop my game. You are right, at 6'8" 230, I think we haven't really seen what he can do. In high school, he played mostly down low at the 4 spot, so it shouldn't be too difficult a transition. But, as you say, there's a physicality in college maybe he hasn't shown he can deal with. That said, I think if he gets stronger, and refines his post play, I see him certainly as a Darnell Lazare type of of player. There's a reason why there are 5 guys on the court--as long as he can get stronger, learn how to play good post d, and do the little things, I think he has a good chance of playing a lot. We know he has an ok shot, now he needs to work on taking those shots in the post with some basic post moves. In Jones' offense, he'll have to slash to the basket on the break. As for Pelle, most reports are that this is a very long shot (if there's a shot at all) for LSU. Pelle actually might have been talking to LSU largely because of Trent, a west coast guy. Pretty sure once JJones was in the picture, Pelle dropped his interest in LSU (if it was really there to begin with). There are as you said, some qualification mysteries with the guy, but I see him primarily staying on the west coast. I wouldn't count on him at all. Where I think we might have a chance, is with the right assistant hiring, we'll see a serviceable big pop up late. Whether that's a JuCO kid or a late blooming high school kid remains to be seen. JUCOs can just enroll, and high school kids still have a few weeks to sign, so there's still some time. Here's where Jones is going to earn his paycheck--who can he sign late, and which assistants can get in here this summer and really prepare kids like Courtney and Ludwig, and Del Piero for more minutes down low, and take what is a reasonably talented backcourt and make it ready to play. As I said last year, really a lot of a coaching staff's mettle is in how they prepare their kids in the offseason, get them on programs to help them, and then the kids' hunger to get better. Trent and staff had a good summer last year with the trip to Europe. With that, another prospect that LSU fans should just get comfortable with is that's it on the signings, and we're going to have to get comfortable with JOB, Ludwig, Courtney and Del Piero down low. Remember that it's a big class in 2013, with Martin, Damien Jones, Derrick Taylor's son, Shane Hammink's brothers, and others looking at LSU. I'm sure Jones is also debating the scholarship numbers and how many he has available for next year. If I were him, I wouldn't take it for granted, and if there was a JUCO/high school big with some potential, I'd probably get him in here. But, if we're counting on folks like Courtney, there have certainly been plenty of cases where kids have transformed their game over a summer (Ricky Blanton comes immediately to mind).
